The 25 best goalkeepers in world football - ranked

Look, compiling a list of the 25 best players in any position is really difficult.

But it's a whole lot of fun and stirs debate - and that's what football's about, right?

One of the hardest to judge, weirdly, is who the best goalkeepers in the game are. It's not all about shot-stopping now, with distribution, the ability to mop up behind a high line and extreme levels of composure a key component in every keeper's game.

You also have to demonstrate consistency, week in, week out, such is the calibre of attacking players now operating around the world. Here's 90min's current top 25 deemed the best in the business.

25. Marco Carnesecchi

There are a lot of good goalkeepers playing in Serie A at the moment and one of them starts every week for Atalanta after Juan Musso struggled to settle following his move from Udinese. Marco Carnesecchi impressed on loan at Cremonese before returning to Bergamo.

The reigning Europa League champions are not conceding goals in the manner they used to - which is also down to a slight toning down of Gian Piero Gasperini's principles - and the Italian has established a great command of his area.

24. Andriy Lunin

Thibaut Courtois' long-term injury threw open the goalkeeper spot at Real Madrid during the 2023/24 season. While Kepa Arrizabalaga initially emerged as the Belgian's replacement, Ukraine international Andriy Lunin proved paramount to Los Blancos' league and Europe double.

The former Dnipro star was close to impenetrable during their glorious Champions League run, coming up with huge performances in notable wins against RB Leipzig and Manchester City, and becoming a cult hero by saving two penalties in a shootout success against the latter.

23. Nick Pope

There are few around with the sheer box presence and command of their defence like Nick Pope.

The England international isn't too hot with the ball at his feet but that matters little to Eddie Howe and the Magpies, whose qualification for the Champions League for 2023/24 was aided tremendously by Pope's consistent performances between the sticks.

He remains an incredible shot-stopper at the highest level.

22. Lucas Chevalier

Lucas Chevalier is one of the highest-rated young goalkeepers in Europe and he will ascend this ranking if he continues on his current trajectory.

The Frenchman is already starring for Lille on the big stage and is likely to have Europe's elite lining up at his door sooner rather than later.

Chevalier has already played plenty of football at his young age, but he's not yet the finished article.

21. Michele Di Gregorio

Another excellent Italian goalkeeper, Michele Di Gregorio was a product of Inter's academy.

But after failing to get an opportunity at San Siro, he knew a move was needed in order to forge his way towards the top of the game. At Monza, Di Gregorio's consistency saw him earn plenty of plaudits and a move to one of calcio's big boys was inevitable.

Thiago Motta identified the young shot-stopper as a key part of his project in Turin and Di Gregorio moved to Juventus in the summer.

20. Lukas Hradecky

Lukas Hradecky has been around for a very long time and is almost synonymous with modern-day Bundesliga football, but he is in a real purple patch right now.

The Finn played a key part in Bayer Leverkusen's first-ever Bundesliga title win, keeping balls out of his net with sharp shot-stopping and his hulking 6'2 frame.

19. Giorgi Mamardashvili

Giorgi Mamardashvili is a name which popped up quite a bit over the summer of 2023, with the goalkeeper linked with basically every club in Europe at some point.

The Georgian has earned a move to one of Europe's elite off the back of an outstanding Euro 2024 campaign with minnows Georgia, as Liverpool made their move before opting to loan the young goalkeeper back to Valencia.

Mamardashvili is an imposing stopper with incredible hands, but improvement is required in possession for him to develop into one of the world's very best.

18. Guglielmo Vicario

Italian goalie Guglielmo Vicario has done things the hard way throughout his playing career but a fine season with Empoli earned him a move to Tottenham Hotspur ahead of 2023/24.

He has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting goalkeepers in Europe, producing some incredible saves when his team are under the cosh. Vicario's reflexes are remarkable, but he has shown some vulnerabilities to the high ball.

17. Brice Samba

The former Nottingham Forest cult hero enjoyed the bright lights of the Champions League with Lens in 2023/24 and currently wears the armband for the Ligue 1 club.

Samba's consistency as a shot-stopper over the years has been remarkable, with the veteran goalkeeper persistently ending domestic seasons having kept out more shots than he's been expected to.

The Frenchman was named Ligue 1's Goalkeeper of the Year for 2023.

16. Jordan Pickford

Despite spending much of his Premier League career as a meme, Jordan Pickford has undergone quite the redemption arc in recent years.

He's quietly become more reliable and remains as useful as ever in possession, while he was one of the top players at Euro 2020 and would have become a national hero had that final shootout ended in an England win. There wasn't much he could do to deny Spain Euro 2024 glory as he enjoyed another successful individual tournament.

Everton have flirted with relegation from the Premier League in recent times but Pickford has consistently dragged the Toffees away from danger.

15. Unai Simon

Unai Simon is a reliable shot-stopper and cultured operator in possession who doesn't concede many in La Liga. Only Real Madrid (26) conceded fewer goals than Athletic Club (37) in the Spanish top flight in 2023/24.

However, it's on the international stage where Simon has sparkled, making key saves en route to 2022/23 UEFA Nations League and Euro 2024 success with Spain.

14. Yann Sommer

Yann Sommer's move to Inter didn't really raise many eyebrows, because it was Andre Onana's sale to Man Utd that grabbed the headlines.

Now in the twilight of his career, Sommer has been superb for Inter and has been a very smart pickup. He won't be a long-term option in goal, but the Nerazzurri certainly don't regret signing the Switzerland international.

The veteran will be aiming to add to the Serie A title he collected last season.

13. Diogo Costa

A graduate of Porto's academy, Diogo Costa has been one of the most talked about goalkeepers in Europe for quite a while - and for good reason.

Costa is the archetypal modern-day goalkeeper and will surely be the number one for one of the biggest clubs in Europe very, very soon.

Some penalty shootout heroics at Euro 2024 have also boosted his standing among the continent's best goalkeepers, even if he still has an error in his locker.

12. Gianluigi Donnarumma

After leaving boyhood club Milan for Paris Saint-Germain, Gianluigi Donnarumma's future looked to be carved out. He finally usurped Keylor Navas as PSG's undisputed starter and was a key part of the Azzurri team that won Euro 2020, being named Player of the Tournament.

Some poor years have followed, filled with one too many gaffes, but Donnarumma still starts for PSG and Italy and deserves respect for it.

However, he's not the Gianluigi Buffon regen Italians once regarded him to be.

11. Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Razor-sharp reflexes, wrists like steel, distribution like Andrea Pirlo and a really cool name. These are just a few of the things that once made Marc-Andre ter Stegen one of the best goalkeepers in the world.

The German took home the 2022/23 Zamora Trophy, but his form has dipped drastically since with a couple of injuries seemingly taking their toll. Ter Stegen is hesitant off his line and a committer of frequent errors.

He's not the goalkeeper he once was, unfortunately.

10. Andre Onana

A year out of the game for a drugs ban was tough for Andre Onana but he quickly established himself ahead of Samir Handanovic at Inter and became one of the best goalies around.

His move to Manchester United was deserved, but the adaptation period was tough and some high-profile mistakes damaged public opinion of the Cameroonian.

Onana is finding his feet now, though, making some great reflex saves while largely cutting errors out of his game.

9. Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer played a big role in the reinvention of the modern goalkeeper and remains one of the very best sweeper-keepers in the business today.

He's only got a few years left and a skiing injury saw him ruled out of the end of the 2022/23 season and much of 2023/24. It's clear his powers will only wane from this point rather than grow, but he remains one of the best around for now.

8. Jan Oblak

There are times when watching five-time Zamora Trophy winner Jan Oblak when you might genuinely believe he has the power to attract the ball towards his hands. It's like his gloves have their own gravitational pull.

He did experience something of a dip in form several seasons ago but is back to his best these days, continuing to thrive under Diego Simeone's tutelage.

7. Gregor Kobel

Gregor Kobel's path to the Switzerland starting team has been blocked by the presence of Sommer, but the jersey will be his in the near future if he continues to impress at Borussia Dortmund.

The BVB star has cat-like reflexes, having honed his skills during previous stints with Augsburg and Stuttgart, and played a pivotal role in his club's run to the 2023/24 Champions League final.

He's the best goalkeeper you don't know all that much about.

6. David Raya

David Raya turned himself into one of the Premier League's top shot-stoppers and his role as a playmaker at the back led Arsenal to sign him from Brentford.

The Spain international took Aaron Ramsdale's place at the Emirates Stadium and while errors did dog his early days in north London, Raya leant on the heroics of an excellent backline to win the 2023/24 Premier League Golden Glove.

Raya has developed into one of the Gunners' standout performers and has bailed out Mikel Arteta's side on plenty of occasions. He's improved tremendously in a short space of time and has to be regarded as one of the world's best right now.

5. Mike Maignan

Milan had a huge goalkeeper-shaped hole to fill when Donnarumma departed, but many will argue the Rossoneri upgraded on the once-loved Italian. Maignan's impact at San Siro was immediate as Milan claimed the 2021/22 Scudetto off the back of a sound defensive performance.

The France international is widely renowned as the best goalkeeper in Serie A and his stock has risen worldwide as a result. He faces future competition form Chevalier at international level but he's still Les Bleus' leading stopper by some distance.

4. Emiliano Martinez

What a ride it's been for Emiliano Martinez.

The Argentinian moved to Aston Villa after a few months in the spotlight at Arsenal and has since proven he's really, really bloody good.

So good, in fact, that he's become Argentina's number one, played a big role in their World Cup and Copa America triumphs and earned Lionel Messi's respect with his s***house antics.

He is now a two-time Yashin Trophy winner, too. Not bad, eh?

3. Ederson

When Pep Guardiola made a cheeky remark about Ederson being the best penalty taker at Manchester City everyone believed him - such is the technical ability of the Brazilian stopper.

2022/23 saw the Brazilian rise to the occasion in the Champions League, making heroic stops against Real Madrid and Inter as City won the tournament for the first time ever.

He's no one-on-one specialist but his form has been consistent for quite some time as he continues to defy belief with his exceptional distribution.

2. Alisson Becker

When Liverpool spent nearly £70m on Alisson back in 2018, social media was awash with jibes from rival fans questioning the size of the fee. But they're not laughing now.

The Brazilian has proved to be a game-changing upgrade at Anfield, perfectly straddling the attributes of both a sweeper-keeper and traditional stopper.

He's also played his part in Liverpool becoming Premier League, European and world champions in recent seasons.

1. Thibaut Courtois

After a shaky opening at Real Madrid, Thibaut Courtois has been in exemplary form to convince any remaining doubters of his ability.

Courtois' long limbs and excellent shot-stopping ability have saved Los Blancos on a fair few occasions in recent seasons - including the 2022 Champions League final - and he also scooped the Zamora Trophy in 2020.

The Belgian missed much of 2023/24 after tearing his ACL, but Carlo Ancelotti didn't hesitate in immediately welcoming Courtois to the fold despite the stellar performances of Lunin in his place. Courtois kept a clean sheet as Madrid claimed their 15th European title.

He's the best in the business.

READ MORE ON THE BEST 25 PLAYERS FOR EVERY POSITION IN WORLD FOOTBALL